World heavyweight boxing

By: Sideline Sid

There are few sporting contests in the world which grab more headlines and attention than world heavyweight boxing championship title fights.

In the next three weeks, the Joshua verses Klitschko fight in London and our own Joseph Parker’s WBO championship defence against Hughie Fury at the Vector Arena in Auckland, will bring an abundance of attention to the glamour division of professional boxing.

There is no sport in the world that generates more self proclaimed news as professional boxing.

Eddie Hearn, who promotes Anthony Joshua, said in one of our Sunday rags that Britain is the centre of the heavyweight boxing world right now.

A look at Box Rec, which is the only truly independent professional boxing ratings, tells another story.

While Anthony Joshua is ranked number one, the other British heavyweights are ranked at 14, 17 and 18, with Parker’s opponent in Hughie Fury at number twenty-five.

Americans hold down six of the top 12 spots.

Make no mistake, the Anthony Joshua stouch with Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium on the April 29 is a big deal, with a massive crowd of 90,000 boxing fans expected to attend.

It brings together the young gun on the way up against the former longtime heavyweight champion who unified the world crowns.

Englishman Anthony Joshua became a British sporting hero when he won the Olympic heavyweight gold medal at 2012 London Olympics.

Since turning professional, Anthony Joshua has scythed his way through 18 pugilists put in front of him, stringing together an unbeaten record with all his victories coming via the short route.

Wladimir Klitschko and his brother Vitali dominated the heavyweight division for nearly two decades, with their standup styles turning boxing fans away in droves, in a series of boring title fights.

The upset victory of Tyson Fury over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, brought fresh life to the heavyweight division.

Part of the Eddie Hearn hyperbole, was to talk up a Joshua verses Parker bout in Britain, if both win their respective contests against Klitschko and Herbie Fury.

While this boxing fan can’t manage a small mortgage to be ringside at the Vector Arena he will shell out fifty bucks to watch the pay for view on Sky TV.

The hype continues, with Sky putting on a snake-oil like pitch to sell the fight to kiwi fight fans. Words like, a global audience of 100 million and witness history as Joseph Parker cements his status as a global sporting superstar, dominate the Sky PPV advertising.

The twenty-thousand dollar question is, will Joseph Parker defeat Fury to set up a potential mega fight with Anthony Joshua.

The kiwi boxer has a big punch, he will have a great buildup with Coach Kevin Barry away from distractions in Las Vegas and will have huge hometown support on the night.

However, in heavyweight boxing one punch can win a fight and Fury has a punchers chance of winning the bout.

The Brit also brings an unbeaten record to the Vector Arena ring, although perusal of his record suggests that he hasn’t met a top-twenty opponent such as Carlos Takam and Andy Ruiz that Parker has defeated on his way to his WBO title defence in Auckland.